Boston Has an Insane Number of Gyms and Fitness Studios

Xtend Barre is neighbors with Karma Yoga on Newbury Street/Photo by Jamie Ducharme

Anecdotal evidence makes it pretty clear that Boston is a fitness capital—just think of how many yoga studios you passed on your commute this morning, and how many gyms are set to open in 2017. The wellness scene is so huge, we’ve even explored whether there are too many gyms in this city.

If anecdotal evidence isn’t enough to convince you that Boston is basically workout world, look to a study conducted by business data company Infogroup. According to its research, Boston has the highest concentration of fitness-oriented businesses in the country, as compared to other major metropolitan areas.

In short, it’s safe to call us the fittest city in America.

Of Boston’s many, many fitness-focused establishments—Infogroup says there’s a total of 1,063 in the Greater Boston area—a little more than half are gyms and health clubs (581), roughly a quarter are sportswear stores (278), and the remaining are yoga studios or independent instructors (204), the report says. So if you’re looking for a new place to sweat this resolution season, take heart in the fact that there are hundreds and hundreds to choose from.

Only metropolitan areas with a population of at least a million were included in the ranking, and the top 10 was decided based on the number of fit businesses per 10,000 people. Seattle, Minneapolis, Denver, and Hartford rounded out the top five.